Salmon Patty Recipe

As someone who has planned entire vacations around eating as much seafood as possible, I was surprised at my own negligence when my younger sister called to draw my attention to a serious hole in my recipe index: I needed a Salmon Patty recipe!

Another word for a salmon cake, these light and lean salmon patties are not quite as hefty as a large-scale salmon burger. They remind me of the fresh salmon patties we ate in Seattle and the Southern salmon patties I’ve tried in Charleston and Louisiana. I took that inspiration, then made them over with a little Midwest practicality.

As much as I adore cooking fresh salmon—Baked Salmon in Foil is one of our absolute favorite dinners for easy weeknight meals and fancy company alike—on most evenings, the idea of making fresh salmon patties is just too much. This endeavor would require first cooking the salmon, then flaking the salmon, then adding the remaining ingredients to turn the salmon into a salmon patty, THEN cooking it again. Too. Much.

Plus, when I spend the money on a nice piece of fresh salmon, I usually like to enjoy the salmon just as it is.

How to Make the Best Easy Salmon Patty

Using good-quality, responsibly sourced canned seafood produced these delicious Avocado Tuna Cakes, and it’s an excellent resource in this Salmon Patty recipe too.

Plus canned salmon has distinct advantages over fresh:

It’s available at any grocery store, no trip to the seafood counter required.

It’s convenient. No need to separately cook the salmon before adding it to the salmon patty mixture.

Canned salmon is packed with the same nutrients as fresh salmon, meaning these salmon patties are just as good for you as if they were made with fresh.

It costs a fraction of the price.

Maybe someday I’ll live in a city with amazing access to affordable fresh salmon. When that day comes, using it to make a salmon patty won’t feel like the splurge equivalent of rubbing face cream all over my arms or using the fancy olive oil to roast vegetables, BUT for now, practicality rules.

How to Flavor Salmon Patties

I wanted this salmon patty recipe to be reminiscent of the old fashioned salmon patties I’ve tasted in my travels. That meant a tender, creamy interior, lightly crisp exterior, and a touch of spice.

Further, since I elected to make salmon patties using canned salmon, I knew I’d need to jazz them up with zippy ingredients to give them a fresh taste.

Side Dishes That Go Well with Salmon Patties

How to Store and Reheat Salmon Patties

Salmon patties can be kept in the fridge and freeze well too.

Uncooked salmon patties can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Individually wrap each patty and store it in an airtight container.

Cooked salmon patties can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a lightly oiled skillet on the stove. I like to splash a little water in the skillet with the salmon, then cover it to lock in moisture and help the patties steam and prevent them from drying out.

Cooked salmon patties can be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Let thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop as directed above.

For serving:

Greek yogurt

Lemon wedges

Instructions

In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the drained salmon to the bowl. Add the bread crumbs, Greek yogurt, Dijon, white vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne. With a fork, lightly mix to combine, breaking apart the salmon further. Gently stir in the parsley.

Scoop the mixture by 1/3 cupfuls and shape into 6 patties that are about a 1/2 inch thick. Arrange on a plate.

In a large cast-iron or similar sturdy-bottomed skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Swirl to coat. Brown the patties on both sides, until the outsides are very deep golden brown and the patties are cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. When flipping the patties, be very gentle and use a long, flexible spatula, such as a fish spatula. Enjoy immediately, topped with Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

24 comments on “Salmon Patty Recipe”

Thanks for the recipe! I plan to make it for dinner tonight. However, when I ran it through the My Fitness Pal recipe app, the calories/serving came out way less than your nutrition facts- like 83 cal./patty, vs. 404 for yours. I’m not sure that it’s as low as 83 cal. per patty either, but pretty sure it’s not 404. Thanks again for your recipes.

Hey Erin! These look great! I have plain bread crumbs that I am trying to use up — do you have any recommendations about what to add to make up for the lost flavor? I was thinking dried basil and maybe some extra garlic powder, but was curious as to what you thought. Thank you!!

Hi Annie, I’d recommend doing an online search for a homemade Italian bread crumb recipe for proper ratios. Most recipes I see have salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, parsley, basil, and oregano, but you could customize based on what you have. I hope you enjoy!

I am sorry to say something negative. While I understand that you need to use ads.. they are relentless to where on the page they pop up. As I am trying to use and read a recipe, one will pop up and I can’t see anything nor can I get rid of the ad. Not sure what I need to do to fix this or if there is something that you can do. I have been following you for years, since you called it Erin the lawyers wife, if I am remembering that correctly. This has been happening for a short while and its really annoying. Thanks!!

Marcia, thank you for the feedback and I am sorry for the trouble!! You are right that I do need the ads (they are how I pay to keep the site running, my content free, and provide income for our household), but all of them should be easy to close and they should not cover the recipe. If you are looking on mobile, there is a small video ad that pops up; you should see a “close” button on the in its upper right corner after 5 seconds. If there is an ad that you cannot close, this is certainly an issue. If that happens again and you have time, I’d love to work with my ad network to remove it. If you can capture a screenshot and send it to hello @ wellplated.com, I will get it right over to them. I apologize for the inconvenience an am glad you made me aware.

What a great & easy recipe! I love getting the health benefits of salmon, yet in a can and so simple. Many years ago, my husband received a huge case of salmon from his parents to help their poor struggling student – and by the time the case was done, he hated canned salmon! So needless to say, he was quite questionable on salmon patties for dinner. But now he is a huge fan and even the next day, he is commenting on last night’s great dinner and asking for salmon patties again. Thank you! PS: I used sour creme rather than yogurt, because I had it on hand.